Reparations for the sins of the British Empire? Now there’s an interesting topic…Yes, this has been a bit of a thing in the states for maybe 30 years. Quotas are bollocks. Looking at numbers may identify unconscious bias, but this can't be assumed. Explanation? They have quite a lot of double backing to do and payback to deliver in the US, to be fair, what with slavery and that. But positive discrimination (as it must inevitably be called) is wrong. And I say that as a working class person with autism. Just give me a level playing field, FFS!
A parallel, but obvs different, situation is the massive reparations paid to indigenous peoples in Canada. I think Australia has done similar (calling @sydney ). A bit of over-compensation perhaps in an attempt to offload the guilt? Probably right to draw the line in the quadrant marked generous. For a generation or two, anyway.
Back on topic....in my job we factor in equality and diversity in every committee. But....few of us have had training to understand it, and those that have (too much time on their hands) don't seem to know how to navigate it (too much time on their hands because they are the most useless of our colleagues, sitting on committees because they can't raise research funds, and other colleagues don't want them teaching on their courses). You can guess the rest....
Here is an example. I am chair of a programme that funds 40 odd MRC PhDs each year. We are a London uni. One of the executive noticed that we recruit few 'underprivileged' students from South London. My response was that we recruit nationally and are not local biased, and we do not have an obligation to educate kids from Southwark. Cue handwringing, and an attempt to change the whole recruitment process so that Southwark single mums with a disability and a minority religion get a lift.
Faaaaark off!
Nothing happened.
The plan never came to fruition since....there was no rubric. There can be no rubric. Because it is all bollocks. Unless you positive discriminate.